Huáng Mǐn
Huáng Mǐn (Chinese: 黃敏; January 6, 1917 - April 28, 2003) was a Chinese and Taiwanese soldier and officer who served the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. Early life and family Huáng was born January 6, 1917 in the city of Hengyang in China. His father, Huáng Wei, was a Kuomintang party official who had distinguished himself in the Xinhai Revolution and had been rewarded with a prominent position in the local government of the new republic. His mother, Zhang Lì, was also a political activist who had been active in the Revolutionary Alliance before joining the Nationalist Party Huáng initially considered a career in politics, like his parents. However, anger at the Japanese military attacks on Chinese territory from 1931 to 1933 led him to join the Chinese Army. In 1935, Huáng enlisted in the National Revolutionary Army. Military service Second Sino-Japanese War In 1935, the recently-enlisted Huáng was able to enroll at the Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou. The same year, he graduated as a specialist in infantry tactics and was posted to the recently-created 88th Division, where he commanded a platoon in the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion, 524th Regiment, 262nd Brigade. For the next two years, the 88th Division recieved state-of-the-art training and equipment from German military officers acting as advisors to the National Revolutionary Army. In 1937, the incident at the Marco Polo bridge led to all-out war with the Japanese Empire after several years of uneasy peace. Lieutenant Huáng and the 88th Divsion were called up and mobilized immediately, and by August had departed for Shanghai. Japanese troops were advancing, and the division was ordered to counterattack, beginning the Battle of Shanghai. The Chinese checked the Japanese advance in fierce urban combat for three months in the city center and downtown Shanghai, with defensive actions, attacks, and counterattacks making casualties extremely heavy for both sides. Owing to losses, lack of support, and an untenable position the 88th Division was forced to withdraw from the city. Lieutenant Huáng's battalion, however, was ordered to make one final stand. For nearly a week, Huáng's men held out against vastly superior numbers of Japanese in the Defense of Sihang Warehouse on the Yangtze River, making the army's escape possible. In November 1937, the battalion escaped and rejoined the division near Nanking. The Japanese launched a ferocious assault in December, and in the Battle of Nanking, Huáng's unit struggled to hold the Yuhuatai area in front of the city. Losses were so heavy that by the time the Japanese overran the city, the 88th Division ceased to exist as a front-line unit. After the battle, millions of Chinese in the city were slaughtered by the occupiers. Lieutenant Huáng's men retreated north, where they regrouped with other Chinese units and were folded into the 184th Regiment of the 31st Division. After a significant lull in the campaign, the Japanese renewed their offensive in March 1938. They launched a massive attack at the Chinese in Jiangsu Province, which became the Battle of Xuzhou. Huáng, operating with the 31st Division, fought at the Battle of Tai'erzhuang, where he and his men defended the city against Japanese attack throughout April. The Japanese did capture Xuzhou and threatened encirclement, but Huáng led a breakout and the division escaped destruction by the enemy. The Japanese made an even stronger push against the Chinese in August 1938 in the Battle of Wuhan, and the 31st Division held the enemy for as long as they could at Shangcheng before retreating south to Macheng in the Dabie Mountains, which they held until October. The Chinese Army had been defeated, but the stand by Lieutenant Huáng and his fellow soldiers had bought the government enough time to escape capture. The next year, the tide of the war would turn. In April 1939, the 31st Division participated in a massive counterattack at the Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang. They rolled up the western flank of the attacking Japanese forces in May, recapturing the areas lost in the previous enemy offensives. After this battle, Lieutenant Huáng was transferred south to the Chinese forces stationed around Changsha, and he was assigned a temporary command in the 15th Division. In September, the Japanese attacked towards the city in the First Battle of Changsha. The 15th Division offered stiff resistance as it retreated towards Changsha and was almost forced into the city itself when the Japanese attack stalled and the Chinese counterattacked, driving the Japanese back and crossing the Miluo River in pursuit of the fleeing enemy. In the winter of 1939 to 1940, Huáng took part in numerous small-scale offensive actions and raids against Japanese positions. These attacks were of little strategic importance, but they served to show that the initiative had returned to the Chinese. In January 1940, Huáng was returned to his old unit, the 31st Division. The Japanese tried another offensive in May, at the Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang. The Chinese were gradually pushed back, and Huáng fought bravely in the battles around Yichang and Fuyang, but the Japanese advance could not be contained. Instead, the Chinese forces regrouped in Hubei Province, and prepared to repel the Japanese advance again. In the Central Hubei Operation, the 31st Division stopped the Japanese offensive and counterattacked, chasing the enemy forces back through Ching-men and Chung-hsiang in November. The Japanese army began the Battle of South Henan in January 1941, when they advanced to take control of the Ping-Han Railway. Instead of confronting the Japanese head on, the Chinese forces concentrated on the enemy flanks, and in doing so repelled the attack. The Japanese were not done, however, and in September made one more offensive against the capital of Hunan Province. Lieutenant Huáng took part in an outflanking maneuver and then counterattacked the Japanese in the Second Battle of Changsha. The Japanese tried again in December, with an operation geared towards preventing the Chinese from recieving support from the Western Allies. In the Third Battle of Changsha, the Chinese held the southeastern end of the city and drove the Japanese into a full retreat with a counteroffensive in January 1942. This was a decisive victory, as the Western Allies had by now joined the war against Japan. In 1942, Huáng was given a different assignment. He was promoted to captain and sent to command a company in the 1st Battalion, 113th Regiment, 38th Division. This division was to be part of China's expeditionary force sent to Burma, where they were to help the Western Allies in the campaign against Japan there. In February 1942, the Chinese force crossed into Burmese territory. The Allied forces in Burma had lost Rangoon to the Japanese earlier and were now planning to make a stand in the northern part of the country. The Chinese held the Sittaung River Valley while the British and Indian forces held the Irrawaddy River Valley. In April, the Japanese attacked the Commonwealth troops in the Battle of Yenangyaung, and had encircled them around the strategic oil fields. Captain Huáng played a prominent part in the rescue mission and in just three days had driven the Japanese south with heavy losses. The Allied position in Burma was untenable, however, and a general evacuation of the country was undertaken later in the year. The retreat was chaotic, and the Chinese soldiers had to deal with widespread disease as well as enemy forces. Eventually, Captain Huáng's men were able to make it to India, where, for the rest of the year, they were re-equipped and re-trained by American advisors. By 1943, they were back in the fight. After minor operations for most of the year, the 38th Division was selected to make a push against the Japanese. Advancing from Ledo, they nearly encircled the Japanese in the Hukawng Valley in October. Smaller-scale fighting in the area continued into 1944, part of the larger Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan. In May, Huáng's men participated in the offensive against Japanese positions with the intention of opening the Ledo Road. At the Siege of Myitkyina, the Chinese forces made a rapid advance, taking the airfield and moving to take the town. Once there, they settled in for a long siege, and Myitkyina was free from Japanese presence by August. This action opened the Ledo Road, connecting Burma and China. They continued the offensive, capturing Bhamo in December. In January 1945, they made contact with other Chinese forces at Hsipaw. From there, they were to return to China and finish the fight against the Japanese. Travelling down the Ledo Road into Kunming with troops and supplies, Huáng's men linked up with with the Chinese forces in Hunan province, where they planned a massive counteroffensive against the Japanese. The Japanese started their attack in April 1945, beginning the Battle of West Hunan. The Japanese advance was swift, but soon they were set upon by ambushes and counterattacks in the Xuefeng Mountains and began to repeat. Captain Huáng and his men continued to chase them out of the province and pursued them until June, retaking massive amounts of territory. Further operations were planned, including one to retake Guangdong, but on August 15, 1945, the Empire of Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. China had been destroyed through eight years of constant warfare, and the successful conclusion to the conflict was welcomed by all. Chinese Civil War For the second half of the year, Captain Huáng parolled Japanese prisoners and helped the reestablishment of law and order in Hunan province. However, the peace did not last long. The united front which held the Nationalist and Communist factions together during the war against the Japanese had dissolved, and fighting now broke out between the two Chinese factions. In late 1945, Captain Huáng was called to northeast China, where he rejoined his unit. He was promoted to Major, and joined the Kuomintang-aligned army in Manchuria. In Manchuria, the Nationalists lacked popular support, so they were forced to rely on local bandits for manpower. They made poor allies, however, and in January 1946 the city of Siping and its surrounding areas fell to the Communists. Major Huáng's men were ordered to take part in a counterattack, which began the Battle of Siping. In April, the Nationalists attacked, taking some objectives, but falling short of the goal to retake the city. Similar fighting continued throughout the year, with the Nationalists losing more ground and more men to the Communists. Major Huáng Mǐn, a committed Nationalist and anti-Communist, did not desert to the winning side, as many other Chinese soldiers did. In October, three whole divisions were lost. In December, Huáng was tasked with helping to take a Communist base south of the Songhua River at Linjiang. The Nationalist advance was quickly stalled by a counterattack, which turned into a general offensive. Huáng and his men struggled to hold onto their position, but were forced to make a fighting retreat which lasted into January 1947. The Nationalists attacked a second time, but were driven back by the Communists in a similar manner. The third offensive did not fare any better, and Huáng's unit suffered heavy casualties assaulting the Communist positions. In February, they were redeployed to lift the siege on the towns of Dehui and Nong'an, but the enemy retreated before they entered the area. One last attempt on the base was made in March, but this was stopped dead in its tracks by the Communists who inflicted heavy casualties. The failure of the campaign to take Linjian forced the National Revolutionary Army on the defensive. The Nationalists were also hindered by a series of purges ordered by Chiang Kai-shek which deprived the army of experienced commanders. After a lull in the fighting, the Communists launched their own offensive. In May 1947, the Communist forces struck along a wide front, catching Huáng's men in Huaide off guard and taking the city. The Nationalists retreated, losing more territory as the Communists renewed their offensive again and again into June. Huáng attempted to defend Siping and held the city against the Communist onslaught, but this was a very minor success. The Communists began another campaign in September, and Huáng was ordered to defend Kaiyuan. The threat to the city proved to be nothing more than a feint by the enemy, and by the time Huáng's troops had redeployed, this time to defend the city of Changchun in November, the Communist offensive had taken significant amounts of territory. After this series of defeats, Major Huáng was ordered to help hold the line between the cities of Shenyang and Tieling. In December 1947 the Communists attacked, and even though they could not overrun Huáng's men, they kept the Nationalists from reinforcing their other units which were under serious attack. When the assault let up, the Nationalists counterattacked in January 1948. The offensive was a catastrophe, and even though Huáng's men had escaped annihilation, the army lost large numbers of men and equipment. By March, the Communists' winter campaign had succeeded in driving the Nationalists back even further. Later in the year, the Communists began their final offensive to crush the Koumintang in Manchuria. Major Huáng, meanwhile, was sent to bolster the garrison of the city of Jinzhou. The Communists launched a massive attack in September 1948, which isolated both Huáng's positions as well as several other cities. Huáng's men held on against the enemy attack, confident that they would be relieved. When the relief force was destroyed and the city was surrounded, the Nationalists planned to fight to the last man in the Battle of Jinzhou. Slowly, Huáng's force was destroyed, and by October, the city had fallen. Huáng managed to escape, and as he crossed the enemy lines, he vowed to continue the fight. Moving southwards, Huáng made it to friendly lines in Jiangsu Province in November. He joined Nationalist forces around Xuzhou, who were preparing to repulse the Communists. The enemy, with overwhelming strength, advanced in the last major campaign of the war. Huáng and the Chinese Army was caught in a massive encirclement, and there was no hope for resupply or relief. Fighting for their lives, the Nationalist troops held out for sixteen days against all odds and inflicted heavy casuallties on the Communists. Huáng led a last-minute breakout attempt with a small part of the force, which succeeded at a high cost. Throughout December the Nationalists tried to hold on to their positions, but by January 1949, it was clear that all was lost. The battered remnants of the Chinese Army retreated south, over the Huai River. Major Huáng made it to Nanking in March, with the Communist forces quickly encroaching ant the Nationalist Army crumbling. In April, weeks before the city's fall to Mao Zedong's Communists, Huáng joined the retreat to the island of Taiwan. On October 1, 1949, the Communist Party proclaimed the People's Republic of China. The war was not yet over, even though the mainland had been lost. The Kuomintang understood that the Communists would come for Taiwan eventually, and the army set out to bolster the island's defenses. Major Huáng was sent to Kinmen island as a part of the 118th Division, and took part in the establishment of the beach fortifications. In late October, the Communists launched an invasion of Kinmen. Huáng directed the defense of his section of the beaches in the Battle of Guningtou, and his men inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Counterattacking, the Nationalists destroyed the advance parties of the Communist force, and by the third day of the fight had complete control over the island. Though the civil war had been lost along with mainland China, the fight at Kinmen ended the Communist Party's plan to conquer Taiwan and destroy the Republic of China. First Taiwan Strait Crisis, the Cold War, and the end of service In the years after the civil war, the PRC began to conquer various islands under ROC control. This was the beginning of an international crisis following the stalemate in the Korean War. In August 1954, Major Huáng was dispatched to the island of Kinmen a second time, determined to put up the same kind of resistance. For nearly a year, the Communists shelled the island while fighting carried on elsewhere. In May 1955, the threat was ended and the shelling ceased as all sides reached an agreement. From 1955 to 1959, Huáng was placed in the reserves. However, he was always ready to return to active duty should the threat of invasion come again. On March 18, 1959, Major Huáng Mǐn retired from the Republic of China Army. Personal life In 1938, both of Huáng's parents were murdered by the Japanese occupying force. In 1951, Huáng married Kai Meiling, whom he had met in 1949 when the two of them simultaneously arrived on Taiwan. They had two children, Huáng Shujiao and Huáng Xiaoliang. The family lived in the Xinyi District of Taipei from 1949 to 2003. On April 28, 2003, Huáng Mǐn passed away. He was interred in the military cemetery at Wuzhi mountain and given a proper Taoist funeral. Views Huáng remained a member of the Kuomintang until his death, and he believed in the Republic of China as the legitimate government of the mainland. He was initially supportive of Chiang Kai-shek, but gradually grew dissatisfied with the Generalissimo's rule, first with his meddling with the military's affairs and second with his period of political repression on the island after the civil war. In the latter event, Huáng was forced to defend many of his friends and collegues who had been falsely accused of Communist ties. He was also firmly opposed to Project National Glory in the 1960's because, although he himself believed in and sympathized with what it stood for, he believed that it would spell disaster for the republic and lead to a full Communist takeover. After Chiang's death, Huáng supported the new government's liberalization reforms. Huáng Mǐn was a practicing Taoist in his family's tradition and remained so until his death. Equipment During the early battles of the Japanese invasion, Huáng used a Type 24 or Zhongzheng bolt-action rifle along with its HY1935 knife bayonet. He also kept as a sidearm a locally-produced copy of the Mauser C96. He carried the Type 23 stick fragmentation grenade during this period as well. In Burma, when his unit was reequipped with American weaponry, he was issued an M1917 Enfield rifle with its M1917 knife bayonet. He also used a Colt M1911 automatic pistol and carried the Mk II fragmentation grenade. In the later years of the war, he acquired a semi-automatic M1 Garand which he used throughout the civil war and after. He carried his personal C96 pistol with him through all his campaigns and brought it with him to Taiwan. Category:Soldiers in the Second Sino-Japanese War Category:Soldiers in World War II Category:Soldiers in the Chinese Civil War Category:Soldiers in the Taiwan Strait Crisis Category:Chinese soldiers Category:Taiwanese soldiers